Hugh Segal, Decent, Civil, and Compassionate

 

Hugh Segal has died at what I now consider the relatively young age of 72 and I feel that we have lost an eminent Canadian who modelled what it is to be a Progressive Conservative. For a time Segal was Chief of Staff for Progressive Conservative Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and he was committed to principles such as small government and tax levels which would supposededly allow businesses and "hard working Canadians"  to flourish. 

I've no interest in arguing these premises here. I can say that I greatly appreciated Hugh Segal's commitment to ensuring that every Canadian has the opportunity for a decent life and dignity. To that end he was a long-time supporter of a Guaranteed Livable Income, a level of support which would allow individuals and families to afford respectable housing and healthy food and opportunity. Segal knew the studies which demonstrated that those who had a stable, livable income could pursue education or afford the stability of keeping older children at home longer. When they ate healthy food they were less likely to have chronic issues which placed a burden on a collapsing healthcare system. 

Segal actually worked with the Ontario Liberal government to create a Guaranteed Livable Income pilot which the Conservative government cancelled when it came into power. and he wrote a book with the great title Bootstraps Need Boots:One Tory’s Lonely Fight to End Poverty in Canada, which I've written about before. 

In the tributes to Segal people of every political background have been speaking of his civility and willingness to work across party lines for the benefit of all people. What a concept in this day of nasty, grievance politics. He worked for PM Mulroney whose Progressive Conservative government hired a young Elizabeth May, later the Green Party leader, as an advisor on environmental matters. Caring for the marginalized and caring for the environment aren't antithetical to conservative values. 

Hugh Segal understood that it isn't a sin to be poor, and while his background was Jewish he spoke at a number of church-sponsored GLI events over time. Here is what he offered in an interview following an address on the theme of hope which he made to a gathering of Anglicans: 

What can the church do about this, and what should it be doing?

Any time a church does something beyond the normal events for worship and festivities, and actually reaches out, it becomes an instrument of hope in the community. And that I think is a huge, huge thing and the more that our churches are able to do that and get support from their parishioners and congregants to make that happen, the more real their impact.

The United Church of Canada has called for a Guaranteed Livable Income for years now and our son, Isaac, a United Church minister, has been involved in that initiative. We support this because the bible tells us so. 

Thank you, Hugh Segal, for your decency, civility, and compassion.